Morning journal and courier., 1887-01-25
10th Congress---SecOnd Session.

WASHINGTON, Jan. "a, 1887.
SBNATE.-The Senate took up the fish
cries question. Mr.. Ingalls, criticised the re-
port of the committee of foreign relations
and Mr.. Frye defended it, taking the ground
that if the President, under the authority
conferred upon him in the bill reported by
the committee, should close the ports of the
United States against Canadian fish t. he entire
trouble between the United States and Canada
would be at an end. Senator Frye was very
emphatic. In referring to certain law en-
acted by the Canadian Parliament empower
ing every petty customs officer to arrest and
drag into port, examine, condemn and
confscate any United States vessel found
within the three mile fishing limit, he in
quired: Chow can such law help resulting
in ware" Mr.. Frye closed his speech by
paying a handsome tribute to President
Cleveland, characterizing him as an honest
American with the best interests of Ameri-
can citizens at heart, and urged that the bill
reported by the foreign affairs committee be
adopted, in order that the President of this
free republic, who could be trusted implicit
ly, might have the power to act in this mat
ter.
Mr.. Ingalls, thought that bill which sim
ply authorized the President to adopt
policy of retaliation was hardly consistent
with the gravity of the situation. He thought
it would be more in accord with the dignity
of the subject for the Senate to declare t. hat
the relations between the countries required
negotiation and that there should be author
ity not to issue letters of marque and reprisal,
but to select commission to settle the sub
ject and to reach an understanding between
this country and Great Britain in regard to
the fisheries. IN
Mr.. Frye said the gentlemen seemed to
forget that Canada was playing the same
role now that she had played before. She
played it for one purpose and that was to Sc
cure negotiations for reciprocal treaties and
= Govt a1r
tage of Canada and the disadvantage of the
United States He would group the out
RACES committed by Canada during the last
half year and ask Mr.. Ingalls, whether or not
he thought the United States ought to resort
to the negotiations. Canada would cease her
outrages He charged the Canadians with
outrages and inhumanities that would dis
grace Fiji Islanders He declared that the
purpose of the proposed legislation was to in
form the British government that q contin-
nance of the present course would be at her
peril.
RACES to which American fishing vessels had
been subjected and declared that the British
government knew the utter inhumanity Of
many of those cases. The Senator quoted
| from recent statute passed by the Domin-
| ion government in still further hostility to
American fishermen and claimed that by its
approval the British government had blasted
| the hope that that government would do
| what was fair and just in the premises. Dur
| ing the last three hundred years Great
Britain had never permitted the right of
another to stand in the way of her progress
American people knew that they were sixty
] million; that they were the richest people on
earth; that they knew their power and would
| not humiliats themselves and do violence to
their pride by resorting TO little miserable
tricks and outrages by way of retaliation. The
committee on foreign relation sought simply
that the President should be empowered to
close American ports against any fishermen
or all fishermen, against any merchantmen
or all merchantmen The Queen of England
could close British ports against any of the
products of the whole world if she saw fit
and he saw no objection to entrusting that
power to the President. This law had power
| in it, He believed the President had at
heart the honor and dignity of the great re-
public over which he presided. He believed
| that the President was in favor of protecting
| the rights of every American citizen; aye
more, he believed that he was an honest man
and If this law were passed the power which
| it would put into his hands would be used
for the protection of American rights.
Mr.. Ingalls, took the floor and said he un-
/ derstood the Senator to say these transac-
lions had proceeded to the very frontier of